Deep-sea salvage bell



Feb. 28, 1928. 1,661,088

P. PRIESTMAN ET AL DEEP SEA SALVAGE BELL Filed Feb. 10. 1925 2Sheets-Sheet 1 0 a II I o 6 u, 12 I 12 g u a! 01 I l o o 11 as 36' I Z 0A; 0 0 aa V (D so o 5 G) I 3.9 41 40 23 40 I 44 42 4-6 49 42 41 I .11 44I I p a 17 l 49 46 m 4: 4a 48 I 4.5 a2 26 so 8/ Purcell Priestman Michal Formelia.

LNVENTORS ATTORNEY Feb. 2a, 1928.

P. PRIESTMAN ET AL DEEP SEA SALVAGE BELL Filed Feb. 10. 1925 2Sheets-Sheet 2 Ill ATTOIN BY Patented Feb. 28, 1928.

UNITED STATES PATENT j OFFICE.

DEEP-SEA SALVAGE BELL.

Application filed February 10, 1923. Serial No. 618,332.

This invention relates to a deep sea salvage bell andone of the objectsof the invention is to provide a device of this nature which shall beequipped for rapid and e'llicient manipulation.

Another object is to provide a device of thisnature with a detachablesinking mechanism so that in case of accident this mechanism maybedetached and the body of the device may rise or float whereby the livesof the occupants may not be endangered.

Another object is to produce novel and efficient releasing means for theweighting devices. I v

Another object is to produce novel and eflicientgrappling means. i

lVith these and other objects in view as will be more apparent, theinvention consistsin certain novel construction and combination andarrangement of parts, the essential 'features of which are hereinafterfully described, are particularly pointed out in the appended claim, andare illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which Figure 1 is avertical sectional View of our improved deep seasalvage bell.

Figure 2 is a top plan View of the same.

Figure 3 is a detail fragmentary top plan view of the weight device; 1

Like characters of referencerefer to like parts in all theviews.

Referring to the drawing in detail, it will be seen that the bodyconstruct-ion consists of upper and lower sections 10 and 11respectively, each being in the form of a truncated pyramid and the twoconnected with their bases in, contact. At this line of connection, themain skeleton frame of the device is placed and consists of a cross 12formed of I-bealns which are riveted together and to the frame 10--11.The top of member 10 is furnished by inner and outer plates 13 and 14:andthrough these members passes the hoisting cable 15 which is providedon the interior of the device with a nut or other securing member 16.Exteriorly ofthe device a sleeve or collar 17 issecured to the cable 15by pins 18 or any other suitable device and carries a plurality ofauxiliary cables 19 which are secured to the various sides of the member10 so that the entire weight of the device is not supported by the nut16. The cable 15 is specially constructed with a centrally extendingtelephone cable Mounted on a. division platform '21 and extendingbetween the various arms of the cross 12 are ballast tanks 22 which maybe filled to any desired degree with water or other ballast from anysuitable source. Gauges 23 are provided to indicatethe amount of ballastcarried in the tanks 22. The bottom of member 11 is furnishedcxteriorlyby a plate 24 and interiorly by a member 25 which gives afalse bottom to the device and is provided with awman-hole 26 throughwhich access may be had to a small compartment for controlling theweight which will now be described. i

The "weight for sinking the entire salvage bell is shown at 27 and maybe of lead or any suitable material for this purpose and is provided atits upper extremity with slots 28 which extend downwardly and arebroadened out at 29 to form cavitiesfor the reception of the securingdevices. The securing device consists of vertically disposed bolts 30which extend through the plate 24 andcarry at their lower ends oblongfeet 31. Each bolt 30 is provided at its upper end inside the hell witha hand lever In securingthe weight in place, the feet 31 are inserted inthe slots 28 and projected downwardly until they register with thecavities 29. Hand1es32 are then turned so as tobring the feet-31 intothe cavities 29 whereby the weight is locked to the bottom of the bell.It will be obviousthat should the cable become detached from the deviceor broken, the occupants of the bell may escape by turningthehandles32so as to release the main body portion .from the weight 27. i j Aman-hole or any suitable construction may he placed in the upper wall 10and is indicated by the numeral 33. Means should be provided inside aswell as outside of the device for opening this man-hole and is indicatedat 34.

A propeller is shown at 35 for moving the device short distances inorder to bring it into proper operating relation with the vessel orother object to be salvaged. This propeller is shown as operated by amotor 36 which may be of any suitable construction. A rudder isindicated at 37 and may be operated by gears. 38 and 39 and hand lever40 as will be readily understood by those skilled in the art. A highpowereleotric light is placed at 41 and a port-hole at 42 injuxtaposition to the light so as to be able to Y see the object which isbeing worked upon.

The grappling device comprises a ball 43 mounted'in a socket 44 securedto the side of the container near the port-hole 42. Mount- .ed in theball 48 is a tubular member 45 having manipulating elements 46 insidethe bell. A hook 47 is pivoted at 4:8 to an ear of the member 45, and arod 49 passes from the upper end of the hook to the interior of the bellso that upon drawing this rod inwardly, the hook may be raised to bringit into engagement with a chain or other object which it is desired tograpple.

A telephone instrument is indicated at 50 and may be connected in anysuitable, wellknown manner to the wires comprising telephone cable 20above referred to. A battery is shown at 51 whereby the energy may beobtained for driving the motor 36 and for illuminating the lamp 41. -Anoxygen container 52 and a caustic soda container 53 provide means forpurifying and rehabilitating the air.

The main framework is reinforced in the upper part by crossbeams 55 andin the lower part by similar cross-structure 56.

The water tanks or ballast tanks are all in communication with a commonpipe 57 which emerges from the side of the structure and which isprovided with a valve 58 controllable by a hand wheel 59. When thedevice is submerged, the valve 58 may be opened so as to admit as muchwater to the v tanks as is desired for the proper ballast, and

then the flow of water into the tanks may be closed offv at the valve.Suitable air valves of any well-known construction (not shown) may beutilized for permitting the escape of air from the tanks as they arebeing filled.

A chain is indicated at 60 and provided with a hook 61 or othergrappling device which mayv be operated by the aforementioned hooki'i'to attach to any sunken boat or other material which it is desiredto raise. As shown in dotted lines at the left hand in Figure 1, thehook 4:7 is capable of rotary movement so as to assume any of the dottedline positions'or any obvious intermediate position.

While we have described what we deem to be the most desirable embodimentof our invention, it is obvious that many of the parts may be variedwithout in any way departing from the spirit of our invention, and wetherefore do not limit ourselves to the exact details of constructionherein shown nor to anything less than the whole of our inventionlimited only by the appended claim.

' What we claim is A diving bell comprising a body shell of doubletruncated pyramidal formation, a bottom for the lower end of theshellcomprising inner and outer bottom plates having areas of angularformation to correspond with the cross sectional area of the lower edgeof the shell, said plates being spaced and provided with downwardly andupwardly extending marginal flanges, those of the inner bottom plateconverging downwardly and those of the outer bottom plate divergingupwardly but correspondingly parallel with each other and between whichthe wall of the shell is clamped, a pyramidal weight inverted with itsapex pointing downward and its base contacting with the under face ofthe outer bottom plate and provided with L-shaped slots, means carriedby the bottom plate provided with elongated feet engaging with saidLshaped slots for locking the pyramidal weight to the outer bottomplate, the inner bottom plate having a shouldered man-hole, and a coverplate engagingsaid shouldered man hole, so that upon removal of thecover plate access may be had to said pieans to permit unlocking of theelongated eet.

In testimony whereof we affix our signatures.

PUROELL PRIESTMAN. MICHAL FORMELIO.

